Power-transmitter.



Unirse .screens rnannfr j seien.

yLOU-Is H. BRIN-KMAN, oF'IGLEN Rines, New JERSEY! vAssnnvon ,To GENERAL INDUSTRIES COMPANY, A CoRP'oRAaoNno-r New YORK.

Specification of Letters. Patent.

v:I5-atterri'teil Aug. 931, 1915.

Appnoation mod rot'ruiy 3, 1era sofie-ino. traste.

To all/21:71 om it may concern A:

Be it known that I, Louis H. BRINKM,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Glen Ridge, in the county "of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Power-T`ransmgitter, "of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in power transmitters and vmore particularly to that class known as ball bearing 'worm gears.

One object of my invention i's` 'to provide a ball bearing worm gear in which several teeth or sets of balls operate simultaneously to transmit power in a most eiiicient 'manner and in which the different sets of balls may run at diEerent speeds without interference, and with a minimum of resistance 'and fric tion. v

Further objects, features andl advantages will more clearly 'appear from the detailed description given below taken in 'connection with accompanying vdrawing which forms fa partei this specification. Y

In the drawing Figure 1 is a side View of a worm gear embodying my invention in one form, the gear being taken in section along the line A B of Fig. 2. 2 is a section takenalong the line C-D of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings 1 represents the' gear and 2 the worm. The worm'and gear instead of being provided with the usual teeth are provided with mutually r'e`- sistant balls 9, 3, 5, 7 and 9 which ballsop'er; ate in grooves 17 in the face of the gear 1 and are carried in four separate grooves or raceways respectively on the worm 2. Thus the balls 9 are arranged to travel in a raceway 10 which vextends in the vform of a groove from the vupper left-hand corner kof the worm over the top of theworm spirally as shown by heavy lines to the center of the worm on the righteha'nd side, thence on the back side of the worm to the lower left-'hand corner of the worm, as shown by dotted lines, ythus passing exactly once around the worm whence the raceway passes into the worm and returns to the so-ealled starting point by 'the internal hole or return path 14. The balls 3 operate in a groove or raceway l which may be considered as starting at the upper left hand portion of the worm and ex tending over the top of the worm, one half way around the worm to theflower right hand portion,- thence underneath 0r Q11 the worm fhol'e or return 11, whence the' i groove oontinue's to the starting point oneqUe-rter of the "Ci'lillifneiietial distance. It will thus be 'seen that the balls '3 travel once around tno wonn in `novering 'the entire length of their y'r'ace'w'a'y 4. n The balls 5 oper'at'e in a groove o'r raceway l6 whi'eh is in nlfiespo'et's 4like the 110 exoept that 1t is oppfos'itel'i'f disposed on the worm and has itfs retnr-n passage "through the worm 'at is. 'Ine balls- 7 operate in gr'"o ovey or ineeway 8 which is in all respects like 'the race? way 4 eXeept that it is o'pposit'ely disposed on the worm and its Vreti'l'rii passage through the 'worin at lo; Enron ofthe fra'ooe ways is pfettittlly nll'e'd with tells' 'although most have been omitted Vfrom F ig. l yl'or the sake of olearness; f e

The worm 2 is of the hour l'glass typeor shape, 'that is, its' ooa'cting surfao'e'is subst-antia-lly' parallel witha'nd adjacent to the pe`i`iphe`ry of the gear, the object being nto have tno fene'vof the worin oufrved to nt the gear, `so tnat'th'e gear Worni may have their adjacent operating faces substantially parallel `and coincident. As is usnal in worm gears the two coactive elements of the power transmitter revolve in different planes, in the present liri'stariee one being atv right angles to the other; It `will 'readily be seen' that the balls in ythe groovesy forni relatively movable interposed antiefriction ine-ans mutually resistant with respect to the two elein'ents of the worin gear, for in other wordsrthey' form antifriction teeth whereby `rotation 'of the worin will drive the 'geen It will also be noted that the worin is provided with a plurality of independent grooves each groove having aniindepend'ent set 'of balls', the balls of "each set being arranged to be conveyed fromone 'end of their respecti've groove to the other end thereof through an independent passageway in the wenn. In order to properly retainthe balls in vthe grooves on the worin ast'ationary two part casing 15 secured together bvbolt 16 encom# passes the worm', biit is open at the part opposite the periphery of the gear 1 to allow thev balls At0 operate in the grooves 17 thereof. It will be seen that the yoperative balls 9 in groove 10 are at a greatery distance yfrom Y f.

the axis of the worm than the operative balls 8 in groove 4, and the operative balls 3 in groove 4 are at a greater distance from'the axis? of the worm than kthe operative balls.

' come by my improved arrangement by having the balls arranged in independent sets in independent grooves so that each set of balls may travel at different speeds, accord# ing as its operating balls are at a greater or less distance from the axis ofthe worm, and

at vthe same time the diierent sets of balls simultaneously engage both Worm and gear so that the gear is driven from a plurality of points thus giving maximum contact.

- rfhevpassages 11, 12,13 and 14 form an efficient ,means whereby endless paths are formed for each set of balls, so thatfwhen they reach the end of a groove at the-endof the worm they are 'forced down intothe A connecting passage and through the sameito broader aspects.

theother end of thegroove. f

Although I have describedf-my-improve ments in great detail and. with respect to one particular embodiment, nevertheless 1 do not desire to be limited thereto except as clearly pointed out Iin the appended claims since many other `adaptations and modications may be made without .departing Tfrom the spirit and scope of my invention in its Having thus fully and clearly described my improvementsqwh-at I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A power transmitter consisting of two i coactive `elements revolving in different planes, the operating faces o of which are substantially coincident, in combination with interposed vrelatively movable means mutually resistant, s, A

2. The combination of a Worm andsits cooperating gear, havingtheir adjacent operating faces substantially parallel, and interposed Vmutually resistant membersrelatively movable lineally `With respect to the worm and the gear whereby rotation of the worm causes rotation of the gear.

3. The combination of ya worm and its cooperating gear, having their adjacent operating faces substantially parallel and provided with coperating grooves, and balls movable along said v grooves forming antifriction teeth whereby rotation of the worm willdrive the gear. f

. thereof.

5. The combination of a worm and its cooperating gear, having their adjacent operating :faces substantially parallel and prol videdwith coperating grooves, and antifriction balls in said grooves forming teeth whereby the rotation of the worm causes rotation of the gear, saidv worm having a hole therethrough through which the balls pass from one end ofthe worm to the other.

G. The combination of a worm and its cooperating gear, the worm being provided with a plurality of independent grooves and an independent set of balls in each groove acting asantifrictiony teeth for driving the gear, the parts being so formed ythat the balls of leach set kare independently conveyed from` one'end of their groove to the other end thereof and the operating faces of the worm and gear being substantially Vparallel. s

7. A; ball bearing `worm and gear, the worm member having a plurality of independently movable sets of balls for teeth and also having its operative face curved ,to iit the periphery of the gear.v f

o 8. Av ball bearing wormk and gear, the worm member having fory teeth a plurality of" independently movable sets 0f balls, each set being movable lineally along separate paths, and Valso ,having its operative face curved to it Vthe periphery of the gear.A

9. The combination of a worm and its cooperating'gear, the operative face of the Worm vbeing curved to fit the gear and the worm beingprovided with a plurality of independent' grooves, and an independent setof balls in each groove acting as teeth to drive thev gear and arranged to travel in an endlesspath whereby the balls in different grooves may travel at diiferent speeds.

l0. The combination ofa worm and its col operating gear', the worm being provided with a plurality7 of independent grooves, and an independent'set of balls in each groove acting as teeth' to `drive the gear and arranged to travel in'an endless path whereby the balls in different grooves lmay travel at 'different speedsfand the operating faces of thevworin and gear being substantially parallel.

11. The combination of a worm and its cooperating gear, the worm being provided with a plurality oit independent grooves, and an independent set of balls in each groove acting as teeth to drive the gear and the Worm beingI provided With independent passages therein, one for each groove, so that the balls are arranged to travel in an endless path whereby the balls in dierent grooves may travel at dilierent speeds and the operating faces of the Worm and gear being substantially parallel.

12. The combination of a Worm and its cooperating gear, the Worm being provided with a plurality of independent grooves, and an independent set of balls in each groove acting as teeth to drive the gear and the Worm being provided with independent passages therein, one for each groove, so that the balls are arranged to travel in an endless path whereby the balls in different grooves may travel at dierent speeds and the operating faces of the Worm and gear being substantially parallel and means for keeping the balls in place on the Worm.

13. The combination of a Worm and its cooperating gear, the Worm being provided with a plurality ofindependent raeevvays, each forming an endless path and a set of anti-friction balls therein acting as teeth to drive the gear, and the operating faces of the Worm and gear being substantially parallel whereby the balls in different raceways may simultaneously contact with both Worm and gear to drive the Worm and the balls in di'erent raceWa-ys may travel at dilerent speeds.

LOUIS H. BRINKMAN. Witnesses:

EDWARD P. REYNOLDS, DANL F. REIsENWnBnR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

